A Walk in Hell

A Walk In Hell is the profound work of free-verse poetry by Gregory A. Helle, one of many Vietnam War veterans, whose horrifying experiences induced post-traumatic stress disorder, haunting him with terrible and vivid memories thirty long years after the end of the fighting. The words capture emotion, distress, misery and the shocking reality of war with their brief simplicity and powerful impact. In My War: They had not taught me to fight/To kill/To survive/In my war//Taught to be a clerk/Nothing bad would happen/But that was not reality/They lied//They put me in harm's way/Without being trained/Without warning/They didn't care//Sometimes a bunker/Sometimes a hole/But Always the danger/Always the fear//The weapons were new to me/Had to learn fast/My life was on the line/With the lives of my buddies//Expendable

Gregory Helle brings the horror of the aftermath of war to the reader like few have ever done. He writes from his gut. Tells it how it is, and vividly causes the reader to experience the trama he has experienced during and after his service in Vietnam. It is a definitive narrative of the emotional and psychological pain that thousands of our veterans suffer because of the trauma they experienced in combat and sometimes not in combat while serving their country. It also ducuments the callousness of our government in its slowness to help these brave men and women regain their lives.I must admit that I was stunned by Gregory Helle's honesty in telling his story. You will not put the book down once you start reading it. You will understand that war doesn't end when the war ends, but that it ravages the souls of thousands of our veterans for as long as they live.

Most of society takes freedom for granted. And those who are willing to protect that freedom are also taken for granted. That is their job. We morn those who die in war, and then it is back to our safe lives. The soldiers, the young men and women who are willing to put their lives on the line for the rest of us, are forgotten. We are too busy to care about what happens to them after the war. But the price of freedom is much higher than most know. The war never leaves those who have fought. It destroys lives and families. It results in countless suicides. Their war continues... forever.A WALK IN HELLA New Book by Gregory A. HelleA powerful, emotion packed trip through the mind of a Vietnam Vet disabled with PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder.) As with too many other young men, he was sent to an unpopular war and experienced multiple traumas Even though more than thirty years have passed, the realities of the war remain. Even with the best counseling and medications the war is only kept at bay. There is no cure. At best there is only coping. The war will never be far away. It invades his days and nights. His poetic journal is sometimes dark. It is the reality of his war.This is not a book about the war. There are many books that depict the battles and heroes. This is about what happens when the war is over and society has forgotten. There are still thousands of veterans who are fighting the war every day. Through is poetry, Greg uncovers the effects of trauma on those who have served their country. With many wars on the horizon, it is important for everyone to understand what happens when the war is over and the dead are buried. For many, the war never ends.